Things that Begin with the Letter L
by fairfarrenlovelylydia
Summary: Alice hits a slow part of her day and Tarrant is about looking for inspiration. What happens when a wonderful walk is surprised by a sudden shower? One Shot. A/T


Alice smiled as she sat upon one of the marble benches in the courts of Marmoreal. It had been a rather uneventful afternoon and she was quite bored with the aspect of sitting around the castle with nothing more to do. Mirana was quite busy with whatever things she needed to do to be Queenly. McTwisp was off running errands for her majesty between here and Ipalm. Alice had let Tarrant be. He was busy in his workshop for the day, needing to be left alone for afternoon to focus on his hats. He had focused on her for days since she had returned to Underland. Alice was so glad that she had changed her mind at the next port, delaying her return a week to get back to her real home. She had climbed down that rabbit hole once more into the land that welcomed her with much celebration. Mirana had made a room just for her in her giant castle, glad to have a close friend among her court. Tarrant had visited every day she had come back, sometimes sleeping outside the castle gates to ensure he would see her the next day. His insistence on spending time with her had caused her to blush. He had promised her that it would be he that helped make Underland her new home. Alice readily agreed. She had admitted it to Mirana last night, in the midst of one of their late nights spent together telling tales of their past lives. Mirana had asked if Alice found anyone she fancied in her life. Alice grew a deep hue when she admitted that it was Tarrant Hightopp, the White Queen's own Mad Hatter that captured her heart. Mirana had smiled at her and winked. 'It won't leave these four walls, I assure you that Alice. Alice thanked her friend for her ability to keep this matter private.

But those fun times had been last night and not this afternoon. Alice had already had her fun startling the young lads who worked in the hallways by trampling muddy footprints across the floors they just cleaned. Of course she stayed to help them clean up and had a great deal of fun getting all soapy with the boys. Then she moved on to startling some of the frog butlers by jumping out of crevices, giving them a good waking up. Some of them found Alice amusing, she was afraid that several had not found it so very funny. But that was their choice to not find it amusing. Then Alice had gone on to collect daisy and make Mirana a daisy chain that she presented to the Queen at her lunch break. Mirana's face had lighted with joy as she received the floral wreath from Alice. She apologized for not being able to spend more time with her friend. Alice had assured her she was keeping her person amused. Mirana was glad to hear that and promised Alice she would make her a job as soon as she could. Alice thanked the Queen then went on her way. She enjoyed a magnificent lunch with Thackery who had stopped by to make the Queen a wonderful dinner for her un-birthday. He had crafted Alice delicious squimberry tarts and soup of the roots of the Tum-Tum tree. She had readily eaten it and talked about whose un-birthday she could help him prepare a meal for next week. Then she had wandered out to the garden to speak to the trees, very kindly of course, and found herself upon the marble bench. She sat now, braiding a crown plait into her golden curls.

"Looks as if there could be rain." A voice interrupted her fingers and she turned. Tarrant stood on the path behind her. She stood, embarrassed that he was watching her but glad for his company.

"I don't think my guide told me it could rain in Underland." She said flirtatiously and she saw Tarrant swallow. "What are you doing outside of your workshop, Mr. Hightopp? I thought you had many hat orders that needed to be finished." She said, scolding him. He shook his head.

"I needed to…get some fresh air." He said with a smile.

"Sounds like a perfectly good excuse to procrastinate even more." She laughed, walking closer to him.

"To be honest," His slight lisp made Alice perfectly mad. "I am afraid to say that I've run out of inspiration."

"Well, that is a problem." She smiled, jutting her elbow out. "Care to escort me on a walk and perhaps we can find some of it?" She asked. He smiled and quickly took her elbow in his own.

"You seemed to be keeping yourself quite busy." He teased her as he looked at the half finished braid crown. With her free hand she loosened the hairs and fixed the tangled it had created.

"I was just biding my time until someone came along, looks like someone did." She shot him a smile and was taken aback by the pale rose color that came to his nearly white cheeks. "You weren't gone for too long, Tarrant, how many hats could you have possibly finished?"

"Do you doubt my ability at my trade?" He asked and she shook her head.

"Never!" She mock gasped. "It just seems you've been so distracted from it lately."

"Yes, yes I suppose I have been just a little." He agreed with her, though his look suggested he was a million miles away.

"Tell me, Hatter, what has been on your mind?" She said, placing a hand on the bicep that escorted her. He looked down at her hand, letting his green eyes linger on it for a couple seconds, and then they flitted up to meet her face.

"Tell me Alice, I'm afraid I've forgotten as many 'l' words as I have 'm', tell me some." He said as his gaze looked away from her. He seemed distressed and it worried Alice.

"Are you sure you are doing fine, dear? You aren't over stressed are you?" She asked as they strolled down the magnificent drawbridge of Marmoreal.

"Hmm, to start off there is lark! Yes a lark, lace, linen, lemon, lint…"

"Tarrant!" She said and gave his elbow a shake. He looked over to her.

"Lovely," His eyes rested on her. She smiled as she imagined that the word was not one he was merely listing off in his madness but that indeed it was meant for her. But that was silly and Alice was only seeing it through her infatuated viewpoint. Tarrant looked at her still, quiet this time. She was a bit flustered by the silence so she tried to break it.

"Whatever happened to your darling 'm' words?"

"Ah, but 'l' words come first, my fair lady." He said with a smile. She smiled to herself at the thought of it. It was true wasn't it, not only alphabetically but even in life. Life came before Mourning. Little came before Massive. Love came before Marriage. _Oh, Alice, get your head off of _that_ 'l' subject_, she thought to herself.

"You've made your point, Hatter." She said with a smile, resting her head on his arm. He was going to get the message soon enough that he was more than platonic to her if she wasn't careful. "But what has your mind stuck on 'l' today?"

"Because I was looking out the window in my workshop when I decided that today was a very lush, lovely, lustrous day." He smiled. "And that combination only drew me further out of my workshop."

"Hmmm." She smiled up at him. She was content to find that he was looking down, his face frozen contemplatively with a gap toothed smile upon his mouth. His green eyes were flecked with gold as he looked down at her.

"And then I saw a lovely lady lounging in the garden and that only filled my search for 'l' words." He smiled. A sudden rolling filled the sky.

"Whatever could that be?" Alice wondered aloud as Tarrant looked upward.

"Unfortunately, my fair one, we've wandered quite far from Marmoreal at a very dreadful time." He pointed to the clouds with his free hand. The sky had darkened with storm clouds that loomed right over the pair. In their walking and talking neither Alice nor Tarrant had noticed they had crossed the drawbridge and were making their way toward the middle of Marmoreal's luscious fields.

"We should turn back before we get you caught out here, Alice." Tarrant said with a smile. But as they turned to leave the skies let loose.

"Oh!" Alice said, a bit surprised by the sudden shower.

"Quickly, we can still get you to drie-"

"No!" Alice said, letting go of his elbow and grabbing his hands in hers. "It's just a little water and it's still a beautiful day." She laughed. He looked at her quizzically; rain was already water falling off the side of his top hat. Alice laughed as she let go of her hands, threw her hands up to the heavens, and spun in a circle. Her dress clung to her body as she danced in the droplets and when she looked over, Tarrant was spinning with her too. The two began dancing and twirling in the downpour, Alice given to fits of delirious giggles. The Mad Hatter was even giddy enough to impress the Champion with an impromptu futterwacken performance which left her clapping and cheering with joy. She ran to him out of pure bliss, throwing her arms around his neck. His hand instinctively flew to her lower back as she leapt at him, laughing. She paused as she rested some of her weight in his arms, her own wrapped around his neck still. His green eyes looked down at her, his orange hair matted down against his head and neck. Alice felt the weight of her soaking weight hair pulling her head back, causing her chin to tip slightly. She smiled up at him.

"Lips also begin with 'l'," He breathed, his hand slipping up between her shoulder blades. He brought her forward and Alice's eyelids closed instinctively. She felt his lips, gently against her own. They touched for a break second, pulled away. She opened her eyes to look up into his, smiling at the small touch. He leaned down again, his lips grazing hers. He brought them away for a brief moment only to have them return to hers pressing harder. Finally his lips covered her bottom one and she let out a small moan of happiness. He kissed her harder and she responded, the rain crashing down on their faces. His mouth opened to finally grab both her lips in his and she smiled in the kiss. When he opened his mouth again, it was all she could do not to open hers. The hand that didn't support her at the shoulder blades was now digging into her mass of wet blonde hair as the two deepened their connection. He kissed Alice senseless, her heart raced at a pace she never thought it would reach. One of her hands cupped the back of his head as he kissed her more, her fingers digging into his thick mass of orange hair. She smiled as the kiss grew less intense, his mouth once again covering her closed lips. He engulfed only her bottom one next, giving it a small playful bite that drove her senses wild. Then he ended with a small, closed mouth kiss to her lips. The last was so delicate that is caused Alice to nearly purr with pleasure. She opened her eyes finally and looked up at him with a smile.

"Alice Kingsleigh," He whispered to her as the rain poured down around them. "I have loved you since you came back to us in Underland." She smiled up at him.

"Tarrant Hightopp, I love you as well." He smiled as she fully stood before him, rising up on her toes to give him a quick peck on the lips. He took his outer coat off and placed it around her soaking shoulders, shielding her from more of the downpour.

"My Luscious, Lush, Lovely Alice whom I Love," He said with a smile and tip to his hat, extending his elbow once again. "You've helped me rediscover my inspiration." Alice smiled as she took his arm. She would have quite the story for Mirana tonight. But she was going to stay in the present for now, with the madman who have stolen her first kiss, but not before he'd stolen her heart.


End file.
